Literacy rate, adult male in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Literacy rate, adult male was 97.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in East Asia & Pacific, 1976–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult male in East Asia & Pacific is 97.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 97.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 78.5%, in 1976.
East Asia & Pacific ranks 9th of 39 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult male in East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 78.5% | — |
| 1977 | 78.7% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 79.5% | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 80.3% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 81.1% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 81.8% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 82.5% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 83.1% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 83.8% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 84.4% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 85.0% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 85.9% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 88.3% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 88.7% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 89.0% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 89.4% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 89.7% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 89.9% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 90.2% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 90.6% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 90.9% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 93.7% | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 93.9% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 94.1% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 94.3% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 94.9% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 95.5% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 96.2% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 96.4% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 96.5% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 96.4% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 96.6% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 96.7% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 96.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 97.0% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 97.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 97.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 97.4% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 97.4% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 97.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 97.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 97.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 79.3% | 78.5% | 80.3% | 4 |
| 1980s | 84.4% | 81.1% | 88.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 91.1% | 89.0% | 94.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 95.3% | 94.3% | 96.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 97.0% | 96.4% | 97.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.8% | 97.6% | 97.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
More education data for East Asia & Pacific
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 174.05 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 191.34 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4731 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0801 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 68.5% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 10.94 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 17.6% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult male in East Asia & Pacific?
- Literacy rate, adult male in East Asia & Pacific was 97.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.5% in 1976.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 9th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.